Ben Foster has signed on to play John Gotti, Jr. in Gotti: In The Shadow of My Father.

As previously reported, John Travolta and Al Pacino also star.

Barry Levinson directs the Fiore Films production, which will start shooting in New York in January 2012.

Levinson and James Toback are now finishing a revised version of the original screenplay.

“Barry Levinson was the first director who took a chance on me, and I have a career because of him,” said Foster, who is appeared in Six Feet Under, 3:10 To Yuma and The Mechanic. “This is a film about family, fathers and sons. I am deeply honored for the opportunity to work with Barry and the amazing cast he is assembling to help bring the story of the Gotti family to the screen.”

“He is one of the few young actors who can literary transform himself from role to role, from light comedy to a deadly gunslinger in ‘3:10 to Yuma,’” said Levinson. “I think he can bring something very memorable to the role of Gotti Jr.” Levinson gave Foster one of his first feature-film roles, casting him in “Liberty Heights.”

“We have been interested in Ben from the very start, and I cannot begin to express how excited I am to have him in the movie,” added Marc Fiore, president and CEO of Fiore Films and producer of the film. “Ben has proven himself to be one of this generation’s finest actors, he is very serious about this role and there is no question in my mind that he is the perfect actor to bring John Gotti, Jr. to the big screen. Both he and his team were very easy to deal with in putting this deal together.”

Foster is represented by William Morris Endeavor. The deal was negotiated for Fiore Films by Steven Beer of Greenberg Traurig.

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